Sustainable seafood champ, Ned Bell, awarded doctorate

Ocean Wise Executive Chef Ned Bell will receive an Honorary Doctor of Technology degree at VIU’s June 21 Convocation ceremony.

The driving force that defines Ned Bell is his passion for crafting globally inspired dishes crafted using locally grown ingredients, with an emphasis on sustainable seafood.

Over the years, Bell’s ability to excite, inspire and educate individuals and industry professionals wanting to make a broader commitment to sustainable seafood has made him a much sought-after chef, speaker and change-maker.

For his exceptional leadership in the sustainable seafood area, Bell (pictured) will be awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Technology at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) June 21 Convocation Ceremony.

“Chefs like Ned Bell play an important role in not only feeding the public but also in educating people about healthy choices and sustainable choices for the food we grow and harvest,” said Dr. Don Noakes, VIU Dean of Science & Technology.

“With more than 35 per cent of the world’s fish stocks overexploited and another 55 per cent of the fish stocks fully exploited, it is important that we choose our seafood wisely in order to protect endangered fish and shellfish stocks while producing food for a world’s population predicted to increase to nearly 10 billion people by 2050,” said Noakes.

Bell is an award-winning chef advocate, keynote speaker, educator and founder of Chefs for Oceans, an organization that raises awareness and advocates for responsible seafood choices. He launched this organization with an 8,700 km bike ride across Canada in 2014, staging dozens of awareness building events along the way. Bell’s commitment to seafood stewardship has only continued to grow ever since.

“Every second breath we take comes from the one ocean we share covering two-thirds of our Blue Planet,” said Bell.

“I don’t know that there is a more important conversation than the health of this extraordinary body of water that we know so little about. We cannot grow anything on land without healthy oceans, our weather is directly linked to its health, and our lakes and rivers across the planet feed into the oceans.”

Bell has worked in some of the country’s finest restaurants in Niagara, Toronto, Calgary, Kelowna and Vancouver, where he is currently the Culinary Director at The Vancouver Club. He has earned many accolades and awards including receiving Food Service & Hospitality magazine’s Pinnacle Award for Chef of the Year in 2015 and the SeaWeb Seafood Summit Global Champion Award in 2017.

As Executive Chef for Ocean Wise, a Vancouver-based conservation program with a global reach, Bell continues to make an impact through educational, advocacy and culinary experiences with his peers around the world.

A father of three sons, Bell has dedicated himself to inspiring and educating people to become part of the solution for healthier oceans for today’s children and all the generations to come.

“Mother Nature still gives us wild fish, it isn’t our right to take it all, and two billion of us rely on it for our daily source of protein,” said Bell.

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